Anxiety
Recalibrate the heightened arousal that served you in uniform but persists long after.
Staying alert, responsive, and prepared for threat is an expectation woven into daily routines, culture, and responsibility in the ADF. For many current- and ex-serving members, anxiety develops when this heightened arousal continues outside of work hours and persists into civilian environments, long after the immediate demands of service have reduced. Veterans often describe anxiety as:
How anxiety may present
- Physical symptoms
including muscle tension or tremors during otherwise ordinary tasks.
- Persistent “what-if” thinking
driven by a strong need to anticipate, plan, and control variables to prevent mistakes, conflict, or perceived risks.
- Avoidance behaviours
choosing not to attend events, workplaces, or social situations because of the uncomfortable anticipated anxiety.
- Ongoing environmental scanning
difficulty sitting with your back to a door, needing to track exits, or feeling overloaded in busy or unpredictable spaces.
Veteran-informed recovery, built around you.
These responses are understandable adaptations to the demands of military life, environments characterised by high responsibility, strict hierarchy, finite resources, unpredictable stressors, and the expectation of constant readiness. Over time, these patterns can become automatic, continuing well beyond work hours or after transitioning out of service. Our team supports both current-serving and veteran members by:
- Helping recalibrate the internal threat-detection system, allowing you to feel safe without remaining on high alert.
- Teaching grounding and regulation strategies that are practical and aligned with the way military personnel think and operate.
Our Wellbeing Clinicians
